Unforeseen Consequences
by TGMaker
Summary: Naruto fulfil his promise to Sakura and defeat Sasuke in the valley of the end, but instead of earning her love she reject him. What will happen with our loud mouth Superhero? Rated M for violence and language. Lemons in later chapters.
1. The higher they stand the more they fall

AN: Hello! This is my first fiction I hope you like it. If not I don't care :P. Well I don't want reveal to much about the parings but I guess I can give you a hint.

I give you the first an the last letter of the main pair. N….o and S….a.

Special thanks to bliiss14 for beta reading.

'_Thinking_'

"Talking"

**Kyuubi talking****/Inner talking**

_**Kyuubi thinking/Inner thinking**_

-------------------------------------------- Scene/ Time change

Disclaimer for the complete story: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does, but I own the OOC that maybe appear.

Unforeseen Consequences

Ch.1 The higher they stand the more they fall

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It is a kind of fun how small things could have a big impacted, a person who come along or a little boost of power on the right time.

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Hours before

"Kakashi-sensei, I want to come along." begged a pink haired girl

"No, it's too dangerous." The older man replied

"Please, I am not hindering you, I am not a burden."

He sighed "Fine, but stay tuned."

With that both ninjas speed a way.

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"You already beat him. Do you want to kill him, Demon? I have trusted you, now I wish that you would just die. I hate you"

He couldn't take it anymore. Those words from her, lingering in his head and shattered everything for him; his dreams, his wish's and his life, all shattered. A single tear run down his cheek, part of it fell down on his carpet.

He stands alone inside his tiny and decayed apartment. His mind consumed slowly but continuously by his self-doubt bringing him slowly to the abyss.

'How could this happen?' He thought to himself.

**Flashback**

He had promised to bring him back to her and now, right here and right now.

He would fulfil his promise for hers and his sake.

His chase after Sasuke had leads him into the valley of the end. There he stood, on the giant heads of Shodai Hokage which has been graved into stone long ago marking the edge of waterfall which fell about 600 feet straight down in a small lake.

The small lakeside was surrounded from three sides by cliffs except the waterfall and an opening one the far end of the valley. There a small stream flows out of the lake and to the horizon and disappeared behind it.

'_How ironic_' he thought to himself. He knows the legend of this valley, the legendary battle between the Shodai Hokage and Uchida Madara; a battle to the death.

"SASUKE" He yelled to the raven haired boy who was standing on the head of his ancestor, his back towards him. Sasuke turned around to face him.

His compassion, his rival, his friend and somehow his brother, a fact that he never admit to anybody. A small part of him was glad to see Naruto, another was frightened of this power and the rationale but arrogant part of his self knows that this will lead to the inevitable … to death of his brother and his own Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I promised to bring you back…" Naruto stated "… and I will fulfil my promise even if the try cost's my own live. I will drag your sorry ass back to Konoha … and back to her." Naruto muffling the last part under his breath and with a sad look on his face.

"Hn" he replied with his usual cold and indifference. "If you think it's worth it dying, then try your luck, dobe."

"It does" '_only to make her smile_' he thought. "So, Sasuke, please come back with me" Naruto begged him.

"You know, I can't. If I want to kill my brother and take my revenge on him, I have go. I have no choice" he said with a lack of interest.

"So, you don't leave me choice either. I will break your arms and legs, if I have to. I will bring you back home or die on the try." Naruto said sadly, foreseeing could what happen next.

"We will see" Sasuke spat back and with that both fell in there taijutsu stance.

Both jumped toward each other met in mid-air under them the roaring waterfall falling 600 feet straight down.

For seconds they hover above the middle of the waterfall, throw punches and kicks toward their opponent only to miss, bock, dodge or to counter them.

They would hover there forever but the gravity took his toll on them. They fall downward, in a rapid pace, along the waterfall but instead of part they fought more fiercely against one another. The fall further down fighting, punching, kicking, dodging, blocking and missing.

A second before they hit the surface of the lake they temporary parted jumping in the opposite direction. Naruto lost for a split of a second his balance as his feet made contacted with the water surface force him to turn a wheel to regain balance.

"Hn, how you think you can defeat me, an Uchiha when you're not to be able to hold your balance during a fight. Uzumaki Naruto you're pathetic." stated Sasuke showing as much disrespect for Naruto as possible. '_How dare he is only to think that he would be able do defeat me, an Uchiha?_' Sasuke questioned himself.

"If you are so confidant in defeating me, Sasuke, you might not look at your clothes." mocked Naruto back with a smirk

Sasuke look down at himself and was shocked. His shirt has a few little holes each of them representing a vital point in his chest. '_How could the dobe to this and why I didn't noticed it and WHY DINT'T I HIT HIM ONCE? GOD DAMNIT!_' Sasuke's inner was total enraged but on the outside staying as cold and indifferent as ever.

"Hn, I think I took you too lightly but I won't underestimate you again, Naruto" Sasuke stated indifferent. He closed his eyes for a second and focused chakra in to them. When he reopened them he revealed his two tomes Sharingan.

"We will see but I want to fight you as an equal so pleased put your forehead protector back on" Naruto said and throwing his forehead protector to him. He caught it mid-air and questioned to Naruto "Why I should to it?"

"Well … you are so self-confident that you will defeat me so see this as my last request" he answered hesitant.

"Than let's get this started" and with that Sasuke put his forehead protector back on and readied himself for the upcoming fight.

Sasuke made up this mind. Planning his strike in a blink of a second and took the initiative.

He dashed over the lake surface toward to Naruto.

He reached him and tried to punch him directly in his face, but Naruto evade his attack simply pulling his head sideways. Naruto made a back flip to avoid a kick from Sasuke and also made room for his own attack.

In the moment as Naruto feet's connected with the surface he speed up

toward Sasuke aiming with his kick to Sasuke's left leg.

Sasuke noticed this and jumped to barely avoid the kick from him only to notice that the kick was a distraction. His only thought was 'Shit' before the left fist from Naruto connected with his jaw. He flew backward. Naruto vanished only to reappear above Sasuke and kicking him into the lake.

Seconds passed by.

Nothing happened.

Then an enraged Sasuke jumped out of the lake and landed smoothly on the surface. "You will pay for this" he splat out as the third tome of his Sharingan appeared in both of his eyes.

He rushed towards Naruto. With his now fully developed Sharingan, Naruto seem to move in slow motion.

He dodged Naruto's fist and pushed his own fist in Naruto's gut that hurled Naruto backwards, letting him smack hard over the water surface.

Sasuke was over excited now he could easily track his movement guessing his attack and avoid them.

Naruto pushed himself back on his feet, he spat blood from his mouth into the quite lake looking at it at it dissipated and mixed with the water below his feet. He questioning himself a short moment if … if she worth it but he let this thought go. '_She is definitely worth it._' he yelled in is mind.

His view finally separated from the water and he gazed back toward Sasuke.

Sasuke was gazing toward Naruto; he had never let his cursed eyes go from him.

Naruto did a quick series of hand seals and yells "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". Five grinning clones appeared behind Naruto.

Sasuke only smirk letting, this time, Naruto have the first strike.

Naruto didn't waste another second as he and his clones rushed toward Sasuke.

Sasuke stood defensively waiting for an opening and he didn't have to wait long. Two clones attack from the opposite direction. He easily dodged both fists by diving under them and slammed his own fists upward into the abdomen of both clones causing the clones to dispel.

The other three clones and the real Naruto rushed directly toward him. He too sprinted toward them jumped in the last moment over them forming in the fly by some seals and should "**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu**".

Multiply ball of fire flew toward the surprise group. Some fireballs missed their target and shot straight into the lake. The mix of fire and water caused that steam engulf the small area where the group stood.

Sasuke smirks and his smirks grew even larger as the fog vanished. There stood only one remaining Naruto, the real one. '_Bingo_' thought Sasuke. He vanished out of Naruto's view and appeared behind Naruto with a kunai in his hand to slice his throat.

Blood sputtered out of the clear cut. The surprised Naruto gasped, or at least he tried. His gasped was suffocated by his own blood.

Sasuke felt him self already as winner '_Too easy_' he thought.

Sudden he knew that his attempt to kill Naruto failed as the Naruto with the sliced throat disappeared in a puff of smoke a second later.

'_Damn where is he?_' Sasuke thought as he looked around.

Thirty seconds passed.

One minute passed. Sasuke starts to loss his patience.

"Where are you dobe?" Sasuke yelled a slightly enraged. He continued "Iwill …" he couldn't finish his sentence as four arms hold tide his legs catching him completely off guard.

He had no chances to react as a Naruto clone appeared in front of him and kicked him into the air yelling "U!".

Mid-air another clone appeared shoving his hand in his gut yelling "Zu!".

And another appeared kicking him in his back and yelled "Ma!".

At last and the real Naruto appeared in front of him and send him with a roundhouse kick into the cliff cause with the impact a large hole while yelling the finishing syllable of the Uzumaki combo "Ki!"

Sasuke was furious that he fallen right into the trap of the "dobe". The seal, that Kakashi set on him to hold the cursed mark in bay, broken because his will to withstand the cursed mark broken.

He wanted to defeat Naruto at all costs, not only for his own pride, but for the pride of the Uchiha clan.

The cursed seal spread from his neck all over his body giving him a newfound strength and the speed to protect his precious pride.

As Naruto sensed the growing chakra he ordered his clones to go into defensive position between him and the angered Uchida inside the cliff hole.

Several seconds later Sasuke jumped out of the hole in the cliff, slaughtering through the clones toward Naruto.

Instantly after he destroyed last clone he formed the hand seal for the Chidori. Lightings spark above his right palm. Finally he was close enough to strike. He jerked is right hand forward inches before his palm hits Naruto's chest he vanished from his sight.

Naruto gasped a blink of a second later an enormous pain spread throughout

his chest.

He felt that a warm liquid soak into his clothes as he felt the dizziness spreading through his body. His arms and leg went numb and the whole world seemed to slow down. Blood drips out of his mouth and he looked down on his body and seeing an arm, Sasuke's arm, stuck out of his chest.

_Damn it, this is it_´ he thought. He watched as the arm sunk back in his chest. He looked up in to the sky watching the clouds hoping for some kind of a miracle, it never came.

All of his power left his body he collapsed and his vision went black.

On his mind's eye he saw his whole life rolling by like a movie. The fresher the memory was the more sharper it was. Starting with blurred memories from his birth and his parents, over his childhood, to his academy days and finally to his genin day.

The movie stopped at a certain scene, happened just a few hours ago, and vanished, leaving him in the darkness of his mindscape behind.

Only hearing his own voice repeating incessantly "I'll bring him back. It's a promise of a lifetime. I'll bring him back. It's a promise of a lifetime. I'll bring hi… ". His voice faded.

Out of his cage the dark voice of the Kyuubi growl "**You won't go back on your word, would you kid?**" the voice became silent. "Right, I have a promise to fulfil. I can't die now" he responds into the surrounding darkness.

Out of the darkness of his cage the Kyuubi emerged in front of Naruto and growled with his demonic voice "**I have to admit you're strong kit, but too weak against the accursed Uchida with his cursed seal and the Sharingan. I will lend you some of my power and you could beat the shit out of damned Uchida and drag him back to Konoha, if he wants to or not**."

"Yes I will, Kyuubi so please lead me some of your strength." Naruto pleaded the Kyuubi.

"**Good boy**" The voice of the Kyuubi no Kitsune faded away in the darkness, inwardly he thought '_**Yes, lend my power and soon we will take your revenge on Konoha, who treat my servant like trash.**_'

His red chakra started to illuminate the surrounding sewer. It was spectacular as a vortex of red chakra forms over Naruto's head.

He closed his eyes as a ray of red chakra shoot out the centre of the vortex down to him, engulfing him completely.

His body consumes the power and the vortex vanished leaving Naruto, eyes still closed and covered by a red aura out of the Kyuubi's chakra and with one tail, behind.

His spiky hair was wilder than before, his whisker like birthmarks on his face expanded, his fangs grew longer and also his nails changed their shape into claws.

Naruto opened his now slit-like eyes revealing, his now, red orbs. He wasn't in his mindscape anymore, he was in the valley of the end, inches away from the surface of lake inside the valley.

He needed a second to realize that his fall was stopped by chakra aura of the Kyuubi.

Moments later, the aura pushed him back on his feet.

Sasuke stood merely 10 feet behind Naruto and was stunted. He recognized this chakra signature. It was the same presence that he felt when Naruto fought Gaara.

The aura that Naruto now emitted was so evil that it sent shivers down his back.

This could mean only one thing, the same being that loaned Naruto his strength like when he fought Gaara loan him power right now.

Sasuke smirked evilly and thought '_finally it's getting interesting._'

Naruto turned around and gazed to Sasuke, staring down with his red slit eyes in the Sharingan of the younger Uchida sending an enormous killing intent out. The killer intent was so strong that it could easily make a lesser man to pass out, but him, an Uchida.

Sasuke jerks back to increase the distance between him and his best friend.

He knew he would have to put everything on one card. He activated his cursed seal, level two, and charged toward Naruto yelling "**CHIDORI**".

"Is that all you've got, Sasuke?" growled Naruto with a deep and dark voice and a sinister smirk on his face. Before his words were reflected by the 600 feet high stone walls of valley of the end the Kyuubi gave Naruto an extra boost of power and a second tail appeared as the demonic Naruto yelled "**RASENGAN**".

Both closing the distance between them, hitting the enemies strike with their own strike.

Then total silence fell as a white flash appeared filling the valley of the end completely out followed close behind by a deafening grumble.

Heaven dimmed out as dark clouds formed in the sky. A few second later the Heaven opened its lock and a heavy rain starts to fall down to the earth.

Two figures stand on the edge of the valley and looked down in the deep in awe. Both shocked about this epic battle that they watched from a save distance.

Both of their minds were intoxicated with fear by the demonic aura of the Kyuubi and the massive killer intent from the two rivals down below.

The lake below them was vanished leaving only a half blank river that slowly fills it self with the rain.

On the far end of the valley they could spot two figures standing and facing each other, one still surrounded by a red and sinister aura

The man with a mask covering his lower face and the pink haired girl looked at each other gave a single nod and disappeared from their spot.

Meanwhile on the other side of the valley Naruto was panting heavily as well as Sasuke, both facing each other, Orichimaru's cursed seal was already gone, leaving him, the avenger, with merely enough energy to stand behind.

Sasuke broke the silence "… Dobe …" he paused "… you win …".

He collapsed and fell into the mud "… bring me back home if you have too."

Naruto grinned like an idiot as he slowly walked toward his fallen friend. On the way to him the spoke "Trust me it is a pleasure for me to take you home my friend"

"No, we are no longer friends…" a spark of sadness became visible in Naruto's eyes "…we are brothers" instantly his eyes lit up as he heard these from Sasuke before the latter finally passed out.

Before Naruto could reach Sasuke to pick him up Kakashi appeared 5 feet behind him.

He speeds toward your blonde hero and tackled him down, push his arms on his back and press him down face first in the muddy ground.

Kakashi yelled at him. "Stop it Naruto"

"from all people I know, I would have never expected you to do such a shame full act." he hissed .The remains of the Kyuubi aura faded finally and Naruto transformed back.

Before he could say anything for his defence Sakura appeared next to them.

She gasps on the sight of the bloody body of her beloved Sasuke-kun lying lifeless in the mud, littered with cuts and bruises and his clothes half torn away.

This awful sight, she couldn't stand it any longer, she broken down. At first with barley hear able sobs but fast the sobs grow louder and louder until she could hold back her tears anymore.

It relieves her to let the tears fall freely to the ground.

She walked offer to the battered body of her fallen lover, kneeling down in front of him placing gently his head on her lap. She removed his forehead protector before she began to stroke his forehead affectionately while crying about his pain and hardship.

He couldn't stand it any more to see his beloved Sakura-chan in such pain.

He struggled to free himself from Kakashi's grip, but he had no power left any more. Than she ask something that took him completely off guard.

"Why?"

But before he could answer her anger and hatred bursts out.

"Why?" she repeated

"Why, WHY, WHY?" Sakura yelled out in anger.

After this sudden eruption of emotion she clamed down, but only a little bit.

"Why do you hate him so much? You already beat him to pulp. Why do you want to kill him so desperately, Demon? I have trusted you, now I wish that you would just die. I hate you" she spat out.

He wanted to say any thing but no words where able to leave his mouth.

He could only stare, aghast. Sakura hates him, after everything he had done for her.

"Sakura-ch…" After seconds that lapsed like hours, he found the confidence to speak only forthwith cut off by her.

"Shut up, monster. Don't you dare speak with me again and leave me alone"

She yelled at him in her agony.

Kakashi let him go.

If Sakura or Kakashi had looked closely to him they would have noticed the dullness in his eyes but neither of them did.

As he stood up and gazed in Kakashi's face he saw the hatred for him mirroring in the not covered eye of Kakashi.

His gaze wandered to her.

As she felt his stares on her she lifted her and looked through him with a look of pure disgust.

His eyes watered but he barely suppressed the urgent need

to cry in front of them.

He shift his head back to Kakashi only to receive the same hateful glares like before.

He did some hand signs and disappeared in a swirl of leafs leaving Kakashi, the crying Sakura, the nearly dead Uchiha on her lap and a single tear from him behind.

Unbeknown to the other audiences there were two more, well hidden. One stood on a branch of a large tree near the edge of the cliff.

'_Impressive, really impressive. I never though he would posses enough power to defeat my little brother. It looks like I have to prepare for unforeseen consequences_' the dark figure chuckled inwardly.

"Are you finally done?" yelled his impatient partner from the ground.

"I am done in a minute, with you" respond the figure on the branch, saying the last part too low for his partner to hear.

The man below turned his back toward him. '_Your misfortune is my luck_.' he though to himself.

He channelled chakra into his feet's, took a kunai out of his pouch and ran down the trunk.

Partway he jumped off the trunk flying silent toward his unsuspected partner, aiming for his neck.

A low gargle was the last respond he heard from his ex-partner before he became silent forever.

**Flashback End**

He panted heavily and fell down on his knees. He wasn't aware of those two red eyes who observing him; waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The hole, as large as his fist, in his right lung ached, but his heart ached more.

The pain was caused by neither the Chidori nor any other attack that Uchiha Sasuke had could thrown against him.

In this world there was only one weapon that could inflict this kind of damage, caused that kind of pain and could shattered his heart.

Rejection! He was rejected again. From his team, from his team-mate, from

his Sensei Kakashi, but what hit him the hardest and caused the most damage

to his heart was the rejection of his lifelong love Sakura.

He felt alone, left behind from his friends, the like dead least again.

Loneliness, an emotion he nearly forgotten about since he was in Team 7 but now it was right back and the only emotion that's was left inside him.

The loneliness spreads in his mind like a disease and caused another one, hatred.

Hatred against his so called "home" Konoha, against the villagers who treat him like shit, against the villagers which looked away when he got beaten up, against Kakashi-sensei who prefers the Uchiha and last but not least Sakura who is blind for his love.

He can't stand this thought any more, Konoha disgusted him. The longer he thought about it the more it disgusted him.

And then he stood on the edge, below him the darkness and behind him the light where he came from.

He stood so many times in his life at this edge, the darkness in front of him, but every time there was someone who saved him from the darkness but not this time. This time there was no Iruka-sensei, no Ero-sennin, no Tsunade-baa-chan or any other precious to him who could stop the darkness.

No one was there to help him out of the dark, back into the light. He wanted to turn around and head backward to the light but than her words flash through his mind. "You already beat him. Do you want to kill him, Demon? I have trusted you, now I wish that you would just die. I hate you"

The ground below him shattered and he fell deeper and deeper down into the darkness.

He hit the ground and stood in front of the cage behind the bars the Kyuubi no Kitsune

He could hear the Kyuubi growling "**Release me, kid. Remove this cursed**

**seal and let it guide you. And then we will take our revenge on pathetic wit of a village …**"

The shadow smirked evilly. Finally there was the opportunity he had waited for.

Naruto reached out to grab the piece of paper with the kanji for seal

The dark figure emerged out of the shadows from behind Naruto grabbed his shoulder pushing him back to reality.

He nearly had reached the paper but he was drag back. He heard the fading growl of the Kyuubi "**No, kid, stay by me…**"

The Figure spoke to the fallen boy "Uzumaki Naruto, I have watched you quiet a while and have to remark that I am impressed of the talent you haveshown."

"I have an offer you can't decline."

Cliff hanger. Please R&R


	2. A decision that have to be made

Hello loyal readers,

First, I am terrible sorry for the huge delay, I hope you cane forgive me.

Second, I want to thank you all for the reviews, for the adding of my story to your favourite story list and for every one who added my story to his story alert.

Also a special thanks to bliiss14 for beta reading and for spazzgirl trying it ;).

'_Thinking_'

"Talking"

**Kyuubi talking****/Inner talking**

_**Kyuubi thinking/Inner thinking**_

-------------------------------------------- Scene/ Time change

Ch.2 A decision that has to be made

Naruto swung his body around to face none other than Uchiha Itachi looking on at him with his blood red Sharingan eyes.

He froze on the spot.

Minutes of total silence passed.

Naruto could only stare in shock into Itachi's eyes and they stared back at him.

Than Naruto took all of his courage and spoke, as clam as possible in his current state of fear, to him "So, are you here to take me to Akatsuki or do you want to finish me right here? Go on, do what you want I don't care about my life anymore."

"Well…" he began with his cold indifferent voice" …actually you're more valuable for us if you are alive. We have a gap to fill in Akatsuki. My partner, Kisame, it turned out that he wasn't as useful as thought and now he is dead. So, I can offer his position to anyone I want and I want you in. I want that you join us.

Take your time to choice wisely, Naruto-kun, if you join death is the only way out of Akatsuki…"

Naruto was stunned. He saw the older Uchiha speaking but his words didn't reach his mind. His thoughts were racing around the proposal.

'_Could I leave the village? I have promised to protect it, I want to become the next Hokage and I love the people…_'

The Kyuubi no Kitsune interrupted his train of thoughts as he forced him into the sewer that Naruto called his mindscape.

"**They hate you, kit**" growled the former mighty demon

"No, not all them there are still Kakashi, Sakura Tsu…"

"**I know that you're an idiot but since when are you obliviously?**

**Have actually forgotten about the "incident" today, kid? **

**You nearly killed their beloved Uchiha, for that they hate you, they will never forgive you and at the first opportunity they will execute you.**"

"No, Tsunade does not hate me." interrupted Naruto but the Kyuubi continued unimpressed

"**Maybe she does not but she can't protect you against the whole village. Everyone except her, villager or shinobi, woman or man hates you in this cursed village.**

**I am neither a friend of the Uchiha's nor the Akatsuki but take my advice and go with him; he's the best chance we've got to escape. It is maybe not the best choice but better than wait here and gets executed. **

**Trust me kid, this is the lesser of the two evils you can choose.**"

He resigned he knew the Kyuubi was right "Yes, you may are right Kyuubi" he said sadly as he finished his mind conversation with the Kyuubi and snapped back into realty.

"… then we will see us then in a week, Naruto-kun" finished Itachi and began to perform a series of hand seal.

"Wait" said Naruto. Itachi interrupted his teleportation jutsu and turned his attention toward Naruto.

"Yes?" he asked puzzled "Do you have any further question, Naruto-kun?"

"No, Itachi-san but I have already made my decision." Respond Naruto with a sad smile.

"Then please, go on" said Itachi

"Well… I want to join, now" Naruto exclaimed.

"Are sure? When you join you can't leave, we will hunt you down and kill you extremely slowly if you do" he said with an evil smirk.

"Yes, I am sure Itachi-san. But before we leave I want to visit some old friends." Naruto said hesitantly

Itachi raised an eyebrow

"Ok then grab my shoulder." Itachi said emotionless.

Naruto did what was he was told to do and both disappeared in a puff of smoke as Itachi finished the series of hand seals.

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Two weeks later:

The alarm ringed.

Sakura woke up at 7 am in the morning. Usually she would smash the alarm now but she was too exciting in a waiting of this new day. She took it simply off. Today would be the first day of training together after Sasuke-kun's failed attempt to leave Konoha; today she would finally apologize to Naruto.

The blond had efficiently avoided her for the past two weeks, but he would have to appear to training. He tried his best bring her Sasuke-kun back and she treated him so badly. She hoped that he would understand that the whole incident was too much for her brain and that she was driven by pure fear.

Again, a wave of remorse washed over her. The longer she thought about this, the bigger grew her guilty about it and the desire to apologize.

She yawned and stretched herself before she shifted back to her thought.

Yes, she will definitely apologize for the harsh treatment and for putting their friendship on the line. She was sure he would accept it, he always does.

She chuckled a little 'He always forgives too lightly.' she thought

She crawled out of her bed.

After she walked into her personal bathroom she stripped down her azure blue pyjama and stepped into the shower.

As finished she dried herself and warped the towel around her.

She stepped in front of the mirror and eyed herself with her forest green eyes.

Sakura picked her hairbrush up and quickly styled her now short hair, only a month before it reached past her shoulder.

Back in her room she walked in her closet and dressed herself with her usually outfit.

Before she leaved the room she opened the closed drapes of her window and the window itself to let some fresh air into her room.

The nice, warm morning sun felt great on her skin.

She took a deep breath and cleaved in front of her window to enjoy the warmness for another moment.

After this brief moment of relaxation she closed the window, and picked a message she had received a day prior.

She skimmed over the content again.

Message:

Haruno Sakura please report on Monday at 8am to me in my office in the Hokage tower. The appointment is already set.

I have to discuss with you a topic of high importance that is related to your team.

Sincerely, the Godaime Hokage Tsunade

She stuffed the message in one of her pockets and headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

During the whole breakfast her thoughts lingered on what the 'topic of high importance' could be and why it was related to her team?

She finished her breakfast and cleaned it up.

Before she left the house toward the Hokage tower, she brushed her teeth and said good bye to her mother it was 7.35.

After a good 15 minute walk through the busy streets of Konoha in a good pace she reached the tower and walked into the main hall.

The main hall was circular with a radius of around 40 feet and a high of 16 feet coloured in plain white.

25 feet dead ahead from the entrance was the half circular reception.

On the left and right side stood pillars, reaching from the top to the ground, leaving a rectangular corridor from the entrance to the reception.

On one side of the reception was a gap for entering and leaving the reception, on the other side the reception connects with a 10 feet high wall with the same width as the reception.

The wall was painted in a clam blue.

Behind this wall laid a stair that leads into the upper floors and to Sakura's goal, the Hokage office.

Sakura walked over to the reception.

"Hello, I am Haruno Sakura the Hokage has asked for my presence and set an appointment for me." Sakura finished with a small happy smile.

The woman from the reception looked up to her and smiled back.

"Indeed, I have been already been informed of your appointment.

Please take the stair behind the reception until you reach the top floor then head down the corridor. You can not miss the Hokage office."

"Thank you and have a nice day" respond Sakura full of joy.

She took as told the stair behind the reception.

4 minutes later she reached the top floor of the tower. Only a single corridor lead away from the stairs, at the end of it was a massive oak double-winged door, one ANBU stood in front of each, guarding the Hokage behind the door.

As Sakura approached the door both steeped aside in perfect unison and opened the massive door revealing a circular room with windows as high as the room on the far end, revealing a spectacular view of the village hidden in the leafs.

The guarded door wasn't the only entrance to the office.

Three additional side doors along the walls lead to the personal rooms of the Hokage, to the personal library and to the ANBU Headquarter.

In front of the windows was a large desk full with papers obviously work for the Hokage like mission requests and reports.

Between the desk and the window stood the Godaime Hokage Tsunade watching over her village and showing Sakura only her back.

"Ah Sakura I am glad that you made it in time. Please close the door and feel free to take a seat."

Sakura closed the door and sat down on one of the chair who stood in front of the desk.

The smell of sake was all around the desk of the Kage and she saw a little piece of a sake bottle hidden under the desk.

"Out of the reports I received from your sensei follows that your combat skills are more than pathetic except your chakra control."

Sakura winced 'So _I guess that the important information related to your team?_'

"You should retire as ninja or you'll get your self killed in a mission."

Sakura felt so shamed that she wanted to creep away in a hole.

The words from her Hokage had hit her hard.

'_I am really as wimpy as the Hokage stated? And why was Kakashi-sensei so mean about thing to us?_' Sakura asked to herself as she frowned.

'_**I don't know, you forgot I am inside of you, but we should try the One thousand year of Pain technique on him the next time we see him, Shannaro!**_' exclaimed her inner self.

Tsunade smirked invisible from Sakura reaction. The smirk vanished as she turned around and putted the stern "I am the Hokage" expression on her 20 years young face.

"Well, there is still another choice. I want you as my new apprentice. With your impressive chakra control you have the best prerequisite to become my apprentice.

Under my supervision we will get your lack of strength and stamina taped.

It won't be easy and you have to work your ass off.

So, are you determinate enough to learn under me?" suggested Tsunade.

Sakura hesitant first but finally answering her "Yes, Tsunade-shishou, I am willing to learn under you to become strong."

"Very well," Tsunade smirked. "Then take this day off you will need the energy tomorrow. Meet me at 6am back here in my office then we will start your training."

Sakura she stood up and headed to the main door.

She finally wouldn't need any protection form her team anymore.

Now she was even in better mood that in the morning. She was so joyful that she didn't hear, at first, the voice of her new mentor calling out to her.

At her second attempt Tsunade lifted her voice notable. This time Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and turn toward her teacher.

"I have a second reason why I want to see you today, but before I continue you should take seat" she spoke in a stern voice.

Sakura did as told.

She could make out a hint of sorrow in the voice of the woman in front of her.

"Well … you are one of his team members. That's why I think you deserve to know." Sakura nodded slowly.

"I have some bad news for you. The status of the Team 7 cell is switched to inactive because of the … of the disappearing of one of your team member. 'Till I found a replacement or he returns, both of you will receive individual training."

Sakura was puzzled.

'_Hn, I guess it's a part of Sasuke-kun's punishment. Damn it Naruto won't be happy if he hear this_' she thought herself.

'_**Shannaro the loud mouth will scream bloody murder if he hear this**_' stated her inner self

'_Wait … she said because the disappearance of one member? But Naruto brought Sasuke-kun back?_' Sakura wonder in her thoughts

'_**Your right this is strange, you should listen closely what she says next.**_' Her inner self confirmed her about suspicion.

She narrowed the Hokage as she waits for her to continue to get her confirmation about her suspicion.

"Naruto … he disappeared two weeks ago." her voice cracked as tears formed in her eye's.

Sakura's eyes widen in disbelieve. Something like this she hadn't expected.

"NANI?" she yelled in her disbelieve.

Tsunade needed a moment to re-gather her strength before she continued. "He was last seen at the grave of the third in accompany by an unknown male. We didn't know if he has been kidnapped or if he abandoned the village. At the moment we aren't sure, because the facts are self-contradictory…but it seems that he has abandoned us." Tsunade finished at the verge of tears.

'_Why would he do such a thing?_'

'_**Maybe he was sick of the glares from the villagers**_'

'_Which glares?_' asked Sakura dumbfound

'_**You never really paid attention? Just about forget it. Maybe there was something else that caused it or should I say someone?**_'

'_You mean it could be that my harsh word had caused this?_' Sakura questioned herself.

'_**Who knows and who cares? I'm not.**_' Inner Sakura interjected.

'_**Anyway it's better that he is away now. Like you said he always was a loud and annoying brat. For us his disappearing is more a sake that a cures, now he won't interfere anymore your love with Sasuke-kun.**_' said Inner Sakura as she made a tap dance on a table.

'_You know you're a __bitch and you disgust me. He maybe is a little annoying and loud but he is still a friend and a team-mate_' she yelled to her inner self.

She grabbed her inner self and threw her in the deepest hole in her mind, hoping that she never ever find the way out of it and returned back in the reality.

"Did you have sent a rescue party after them, Hokage-sama?" asked Sakura.

"No …"the Hokage frowned, shaking her head and sigh"… they didn't leave any trace to follow. It's like they dissipated into air." respond the Hokage.

"Hn" was the only thing Sakura could muster to say as she sunk back in to her thoughts.

Tsunade could imagine what the poor girl in front of her was thinking and feeling. She possible questioned herself what she had done wrong?

Tsunade knew these thought too well. To be honest, she already has lost more than one team member.

Subconscious she gazed on her mahogany desk.

She pushed these sad thoughts about her lost fiancé, her little brother and Orochimaru-teme apart and focused back from the past to now.

She looked up from her desk seeing Sakura gazing into her face, searching for answer in it but didn't find any.

"Do you have any further questions? If not you are maybe so kind and leave my office I have as usual work to do." She suggested.

Sakura gazed aghast to her and leave the office with out another word, still deep in thoughts.

After Sakura left her office Tsunade turned back to her hated paperwork.

An uncounted amount of time elapsed till she noticed the presence of her old team member.

After another five minutes passed she lost her patience's and yelled out into the empty room. "Jiraiya, you old pervert, how long do I have to wait until you finally show your self?!"

Her voice echoed through the empty room and became silent. Only the low sound

of the waft of cool air breezing through the open window was audible.

Out of the blue Jiraiya jumped through the open window and try to land crouched in front of Tsunade desk.

He landed exactly as planned in front of her desk but he didn't expect an empty sake bottle there.

As one of his feet's made contact with the bottle he slipped.

To be more precise the bottle slipped away under the pressure of his feet and he lost his balance.

He slipped into the wall and felt backward on the carpet.

Tsunade was visibly amused about the comic entrance of her old team-mate and he had totally made up for letting her wait.

She giggled like a 12 year old girl as she walked toward him.

She helped him back on his feet's and quickly treated the minor bruises and cuts form his wall crash.

"You should become more careful on your older days, Jiraiya" she chuckled as she helped him back on his feet

He brushed the dust off his self and leaned against the minor damaged wall.

In the meantime Tsunade walked back to her seat and sat down.

"What brought you to me today, old friend? She asked.

Jiraiya hoped nervously form one feet to the other.

He wasn't quite sure how she would take the news he has for her but she didn't let him a chance to avoid this touchy subject.

"W-well … "he began stuttering. He paused a moment to collect himself and continued "I have news, about … Naruto" he said finally.

In a split of a second the whole joy left her face and was immediately replaced by a dead serious one as she heard the name of the blond knucklehead ninja.

She tried to calm herself but she felt that she was the second time this day at the verge of tears.

Finally she calmed her self enough to speak

"What do you have found out about …" she stopped mid sentence. She couldn't bring herself to speak out his name loud it pained her to much "… about him?"

Jiraiya felt suddenly a lump in his throat. This wasn't rather bad news neither good but he felt the urgent to run away because he doesn't know how the sometimes violent blond in front of him would react.

Nonetheless he cleared lump "He is with …" he sighed '_now or never_' he thought "he is now with Akatsuki".

Her face paled her thoughts began to race around.

'_How did they manage to capture him inside Konoha with out noticing anyone? What will they do with him? How much time do we have to rescue him?_' all her thought race around the blond boy which she see much like her own little brother.

They have to rescue him. The village always had abandoned and shunned him but not his time she will make sure.

This time they won't let him down and won't forsake him. She clenched her fists and stood up.

"We have to rescue him." Jiraiya was stunned about her exclaim "He is still a part of the village hidden in the leaf and we will not abandon him. Not this time. I want you, Kakashi and…"

Jiraiya snapped out of the stun and interrupted her furious speech.

"Well, I think you have misunderstood it so I repeat it for to you again. He hasn't been captured by Akatsuki, it more like that he joined their ranks furthermore it was his own choice." He explained.

She paled even more and fell powerless back in to her chair.

It took quiet some time before she moved again.

She placed her elbow on the desk, folded with her hand a bridge and rested her head on it. She remained in this position for a little while, letting the new information she had received moments ago a little more sink in, then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She asked carefully, afraid that she may say something wrong, and in a low powerless voice her old team-mate "Dose that mean that he is safe?"

Jiraiya nodded "Yes, he is safe for now. My sources said that we have a minimum of 4 years before Akatsuki will make their final move"

This statement was an immersive relieved for Tsunade. Away were her worries and the pain about the well being of her little brother.

Her body behind the desk relaxed visibly and she regained her natural self-confidence.

"I want a fully detailed report of every one of his activities" she commanded in her bossy tone.

"About every thing?" a perverted grin appeared on the face of the toad-hermit

"I mean … hehe … I think he maybe want some privacy in the future, you know he is still a teenager" his grin grew larger if this was some how possible but it was short living as Tsunade stood up walked to him and smacked the old pervert in his face sending him directly into the wall where he leaned against just moments ago.

"For Kami's sake, Jiraiya, grow up! I didn't refer on that kind of activities, damn old pervert!" she yelled enraged at him.

He slowly got up and brushed off the dust from the now pulverized wall." As you request" Jiraiya said in short mocking run toward the window and jumping out of it avoiding barley an empty sake bottle that crossing his path.

Tsunade had thrown this makeshift projectile cause the lacking of kunai or shuriken in reach of her.

Anyway the pervert toad sage never saw the second bottle coming after he leaped out of the window. Tsunade done a little victories dance as the bottle made contact with the midair Jiraiya knocking him nearly out in process.

He landed on the next roof unable to stop his rolling over the roof. His rotation came to a sudden and painful stop as he hit the water tower of the building which burst under the force of the impacted.

Tsunade couldn't restrain her laugher any longer.

The misfortunes of her old team-mate were far too funny to resist.

She nearly fell face first on the floor because of her laughter and as she though that this was the funniest possible she get disabused as the, from head to toe soaked, toad hermit limped away holding his right leg and muffling something about woman with monstrous strengthen.

Finally after 5 minutes of laughing, she calmed down.

She opened the lower right drawer of her desk and took a new bottle of sake out of her sake storage.

She removed the cork from the bottleneck and poured the clear liquid into a small glass.

She put down the bottle on the desk and closed it again with the cork then she lifted he glass up in the air, letting the rays of the sun reflecting in it, gazing through it and let her thoughts wander about her fuel, the fuel which will let her survive this day.

Not wasting any more time or thoughts to it, she slipped the booze down her throat.

Instantaneous a pleasant warmness spread through her body then she pick up a stack of paper that lay on her desk and began to work through the stack of paperwork.

Hours passed eventually midday approached and slow but steady she master the massive amount of paperwork which burden her desk so much.

She let off from the current paper and rubbed her temple.

To stay focusing for such a long period of time on plain paperwork always caused her a headache and sometimes, like today, she question herself why she had taken his job.

But every time she does the face of the blond boy pops in her mind up and reminds her that she only keep the seat warm for him.

Her thought suddenly ended as a knock from the door echoed through the almost

empty office.

"Who is it?" growled the busty blond. This disturbance already began to

annoy her.

"It's only me. Shizune" could she heard through the massive wood door.

"Alright, then come in, Shizune"

Shizune opened the door entered the office and closed the door behind her.

Again Tsunade rested her head on the bridge of her hands as she waiting for Shizune to state her purpose.

The black haired woman stopped in the middle between the desk and the door, keeping a safe distance between her and her master, it was one of the most important things she learned from her master, to be always aware of sudden changes of her mood.

"I am her to inform you that Uchida Sasuke is awakened out of his coma, as you requested." Shizune informed her Hokage and waited for further instructions.

"Very well, I will take care of him personally. Shizune, you wouldn't mind to fill in for me till I am back?" she finished with a smile.

"I guess you never miss a chance to escape your work load?"

Tsunade didn't respond but continued to smile to her apprentice.

"Fine, fine I'll do it, but you bring lunch, your treat."

"That's totally fine for me." with that she stood up in a slinky motion, walked past her apprentice to the one of the smaller side doors which leads to the ANBU Headquarter.

She past the door and walked the dim illuminated spiral staircase down.

It took her some time to reach the bottom of the staircase.

Down on the bottom she stood in front of small but solid silver grey metal door which grants her entrance to the Konoha Military Tunnel Network.

It provides Konoha with a quick and safe, due to the fact that it is subterranean, passage between important military buildings like the Hokage tower, the ANBU HQ and the Hospital and hidden troop movement inside of Konoha and the immediate environs of Konoha.

The door opened automatically, revealing a small chamber where two ANBU stood on their guard position.

Except the door where she had entered the tunnel network, three other tunnels lead out of the chamber.

On the sign on the right of the left portal, which lead out of the chamber, carried in dark letters the in inscription of 'To the Wall'. The inscription of the right portal said 'To the Hospital'.

Tsunade didn't bestow them a glance. She walked straight through the chamber and vanished in the middle tunnel, the tunnel to the ANBU Headquarter

Eventually she reached another chamber after traveling through the over 2 mile long and barely enough lighted tunnel. She made her way to the stairway and headed upward.

She exited the Tunnel System and was now in the medium security section of the ANBU HQ.

She made her way through the corridors. Every single ANBU she passed paused his current task a showed her the proper respect.

Finally she reached her final destination. An inconspicuous door guarded by two ANBU which stood in front of it.

The ANBU nin's saluted and stepped aside freeing the way for her.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside the cell.

A standard cell with the dimensions of 20 by 15 feet footprint and with high of 6 feet the walls coloured in plain white and the floor out of white marble tiles.

In the middle of the cell stood the bed, surrounded by some medical devices, with the Uchiha prodigy in it.

She eyed the young Uchiha who was, stiff as a poker, sitting in the bed obviously engaged in a starring contest with the wall, opposite of the bed.

"Uchiha Sasuke" a mere grunt could from him shows his acknowledged of her appearance in his cell.

"I am here to inform you about your punishment for deserting our village and betraying our trust in you."

His gaze parted from the wall and turned it to the fifth. "It doesn't matter what kind of punishment you have in store for me…"

'_Oh great, still cocky, hn? I give a damn about what the council had told me. Your ass is my, Uchida!_' Tsunade thought but before she could speak and fry his ass he continued "… as long as my brother is by my side and help me I can bear anything."

"Brother?" she asks out of curiosity.

"Yes my brother!" he retorted in his usual monotone voice.

'Oh Kami, Naruto must have fried his brain.' she sighed

"Your brother, Itachi, abandoned the years ago and…" he interrupted her.

"I don't mean that piece of trash, I mean Naruto." In the moment he mention his name Tsunade look dumbfound and her mood dulled.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Naruto abandoned the village right after your fight."

"No" he squeezed out and clenched his fists till the knuckles went white.

His stoic façade shattered, tears forming in his eyes. In during the one and a half month in which she the ruled the village she had heard about the legendary stoical Uchiha heir, never showing a single emotion and now that?

'Another one who Naruto has changed for the better' she thought. With his sincere emotion about the leaving of the blond knucklehead he earned her compassion and she quickly decided to weaken his punishment.

"Behave your self" she ordered in a stern voice. "You still didn't know your punishment"

Barely he was able to regain his composure for the moment.

"You will be under house arrest for the next few months till I think you have enough, also you will not be able to leave this village till you have proofed enough in my eyes and last but not least don't expect any promotion in higher ranks soon."

Before he could protest she added "Ah, before I forgot it, of course you will go with any single retrieval mission for Naruto" she finished with a smile and left the room.

Sasuke so astonished and overjoyed by the fact that he would be allowed to help to retrieve his brother that he showed his emotion in a from, which he hadn't used in year.

He smiled.

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Reviews are like a chocolate box, you never really know what you'll get.

So R&R please.

Furthermore I want to notify you that because of the upcoming semester exams I have to shift my attention from writing to studying. I will try to spend as much time as possible for the continuing of the story but I can't give an exacted date when I will finish the next chapter.

Thank you for your understanding.


	3. Shattered

Hello loyal readers,

**Author Note **

Hello fellow readers,

I have I am sorry to tell you that I am discontinue this story.

April fool!!

I continue it and here is actual the third chapter of it.

Why did I not complete it earlier?

Well I had a kind mixture of stress, writing blockade, lack of interest, etc.

Because it's to hard (actually I am to lazy) to explain it completely to you I just say my computer is broken.

For the next chapter I won't even give a fix date when I will complete it (hopefully in 2 moth). I will only give you surety that it will come.

Now enjoy.

Like always a special thanks to bliiss14 for beta reading the chapter.

'_Thinking_'

"Talking"

**Kyuubi talking/Inner talking**

_**Kyuubi thinking/Inner thinking**_

-- Scene/ Time change

**Author Note End**

Ch. 3 Shattered

Somewhere in the land of Fire: 3 month after the incident.

Naruto panted slightly as he landed swiftly onto a tree branch. His opponent landed on a tree branch about 60 feet a way with the same ease, but he didn't sweat like Naruto, nor had he been cut from barely dodged kunai and shuriken, and bruises, from various punches and kicks, everywhere.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on his opponent searching desperately for any weakness or opening.

He needed to find a weakness, or he would be doomed.

Naruto's break, for examination on his enemy, was only short living as his opponent jumped backwards into the air to perform his next attack.

Naruto followed the movement of his enemy carefully.

Suddenly he realized the fatal mistake he had made earlier. He was not fully aware where his opponent had laded and now he must face the fact that the sun was behind him.

At the time he came to this realization his foe where already covered by the bright illumination of the sun.

He narrowed his eyes to pick out the enemy. Time seemed to slow down as he waited for him.

Oddly, the diameter of the sun seems to be increasing,

He jumped out of the way as a '**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique!)**' Burned the branch where he stood a mere second ago, to ash.

Before Naruto even had the chance to make contact with the ground, a foot hit him violently in his abdomen.

The enemy was mildly surprised as Naruto was not blow away, but dissolve in to a puff of smoke reveal that he was nothing but a Kage Bunshin.

Before he had time to react, Naruto sprang out of his cover from behind a tree.

Sending a well aimed kick toward the back of his unsuspecting opponent.

As the kick made a connection to his foe, his body disintegrated into mud.

Naruto barely had time to react as a barrage of shuriken closed in on him, all coming towards him, fast.

His body was pierced multiple times by the shuriken but to the surprise of his opponent only a puff of smoke and a log left were Naruto's body should have been.

"A Kawarimi no Jutsu?" the foe said as a dumbfound look appeared on his face.

He jumped down from the branch and inspected the area where the shuriken had dug into the ground.

Most of the shuriken had simply missed him or where impaled into the log.

He did not pay them any attention. No, he walked straight to the only shuriken that was a little apart from the others and stuck in the roots of an old oak.

He smirked as the saw the red liquid that dripped down from the tips of the shuriken.

'_Impressive, you have become quite fast, Naruto-kun but your still not fast enough_' he thought as he chuckled to himself

About 400 feet away sat Naruto on the ground with his back leaned against a tree trunk.

He panted heavily; he did not expect that his opponent would use a Kage Bunshin.

'_Damn I fell for his trap_' Naruto cursed. Luckily, for him, he was fast enough to perform a Kawarimi no Jutsu before the rest could perforate him.

He ripped a part of his shelves and warped it around that nasty gash he had received from the shuriken.

He did not really need the bandage, in less than ten minutes the gash would be completely healed. Nevertheless, a trail of blood was a good trace for his opponent to follow him and that was a lesson he had learned painfully.

Now after he had treated his wound he thought '_I should have move before …_'.

His train of thoughts was abruptly interrupted as a kick landed in his right flank, causing him to roll painfully over onto the ground.

"You shouldn't rest in the middle of a battle, Naruto-kun, or it gets ugly for you" he mocked.

A low feral growl was the only response from Naruto as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

He sprinted forward to engage the hostile combatant in a fierce taijutsu battle.

He fought with the little remaining strength he had left.

It would be a little frustrating, but as yet everything went as planned. He had thrown several punch and kick combos against his opponent and he did nothing expect back away.

He smirked as he his opponent backed away to evaded the last uppercut thrown at him.

The ground beneath his foe crumbled as a Naruto Kage Bunshin emerged out of the ground sending him flying in the air.

His gain of altitude was short living as a second Naruto Kage Bunshin shoved his fist in to his face sending him fly into a tree.

As he unbent, with his back pressed against the trunk of the tree, Naruto appeared in front of him and pressed a kunai against his throat.

"Check…" before he could finish he felt coolness of a steel blade pressed against his on throat. The man in front of him, who leans against the trunk, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"-mate" finished his opponent.

"Did you really think that you could defeat me with that move, Naruto-kun?" He stated indifferently.

"Not really, but I had to try, Itachi-sensei" Naruto said with his typical foxy grin.

"I have to admit your progress is astonishing. I already need more than 20 percent of my power to defeat you." Itachi commented genuinely.

In the moment as he removed the kunai from Naruto's throat, he sunk powerless to the ground.

Itachi signed.

"Come on, Naruto-kun. I know a place near here where you could rest." Itachi said.

"I would love to but …" he could not finish as the tiredness overcome his body taking him into a well-earned slumber.

Itachi signed heavy.

'_Damn, I should stop training him 'till he collapses if I don't want to always carry his lazy ass around._' he sighed mentally again as he pick Naruto up before he flickered away.

Slowly he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before he began to examine the strange and unknown surroundings.

He laid on a meadow in, what he thought, an abandoned garden but obviously the nature had conquered back its territory, on the far side of the garden where the burned remains of a relatively large house still stood.

He stood up and walked toward the house. He did not know why, but this pill of trash was some how familiar to him.

Naruto reached forward with his hand and touched the doorframe, letting his hand slid down the frame.

An image flashed through his mind. His viewpoint was much deeper and he looked through a doorframe to an inside room with a table. There sat two elderly persons. The first was a man with a battle worn face and grey hair. He still had some hints of his original hair colour, but Naruto could not make out which colour it was. He smiled at Naruto.

The second was a woman, despite her age, her beauty was still visible and he could guess she was even more beautiful when see was younger, her fire red hair cascade down below her shoulder. She smiled to him, too.

However, it faded as fast as it had appeared leaving Naruto's in depth thoughts behind.

"Oi, don't zone out here! We have to go." said Itachi as he tapped him on his shoulder

"Oh, sorry …"he paused before he turned and face Itachi "… it's just … this place … it felt so familiar … I can't explain it. It's just a feeling … forget it." Naruto said.

'_If you only would remember, Naruto-kun, it would make something's easier but some harder._' Itachi thought sadly.

"What do you think of Konoha, lately?" asked Itachi out of the blue.

"You mean this pathetic wit of a shinobi village? Let's just say if I didn't intervene that day it would be now nothing more than burned remains and a graveyard."

"Than was it good that I had stopped you before you did something that you would later maybe regret? After all it's our home."

"How come a traitor like you defends this place? As far as I know you left a trace of dead bodies on you departure, mostly the bodies of your family." Naruto said in monotone.

"I never wanted to leave in first place."

"Really, maybe then you shouldn't have killed your family" Naruto mocked back.

"That is a crime that I didn't commit, not completely." said Itachi in a low voice.

"Hey, when you want to talk you can tell me, anytime." Naruto offered.

Itachi sighed.

"I will show you it from the beginning… Mangekyo Sharingan"

Mangekyo Sharingan Flashback

Itachi walk through the forest to bridge where he and his best friend, his cousin, Shisui always met.

The dusk was already setting illuminating the sky and the landscape in a beautiful mix of red, orange and yellow.

The forest thinned out and revealed the breathtaking view of the bridge and the river below.

From afar, he already could already make out the outlines of his cousin.

'_I wonder why he wants to see me this urgently._' Itachi thought to himself.

Finally, he reached the middle of the bridge where his cousin waited for him.

Shisui gazed in dusk, his thoughts circling about the decision he had made and the talk he had this afternoon.

'_You could obtain an ancient power…_'

"Itachi… I am glad you've made it"

'…_an ultimate power …_'

"I have a question for you, cousin."

'_...the only thing you have to do is kill your best friend, Itachi_'

"What would you do for the ultimate power?"

'_You only have to kill him and I will make sure that they don't blame you for it_'

"Would you kill your best friend?"

'_What will you decide?_'

"No, I wouldn't kill my best friend for power or anyone else."

'_Will you do it …?_'

'_Yes, I will do it, Madara-sama_'

"That's the difference between you and me. I would."

His threat lingered a few seconds in the air. Itachi looked aghast into the Sharingan eyes of his cousin before quickly rushed forward closing the distance between them.

His right fist crashed down toward Itachi's face but before it connected Itachi's ANBU instincts kicked in and he pulled himself out of his shock, sloped his body to avoid the fist, and went into a defensive state.

"Why?" questioned Itachi as he dodged and blocked the onslaught of his cousin.

"You're a fool if you think that I am dumb. I know that you found and read the scroll about the Mangekyo Sharingan but you stopped short of the required sacrifice. I will obtain it and I will scarify you, my dear cousin!" explained Shisui

"But why do you want this power?"

"Why? WHY?! Because, there are only two kinds of Uchiha's, you and the others. You do not know how it is to be one of the others. For your parents we are failures we could only make things right if we are able to be better than you, even your little brother. But now I have the chance to change it and I will, and you will leave this place not alive."

"You will not get away with this."

"Sure I will. I only have to tell them that you attacked me in order to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. Now, you question why they should believe me? Easy, before I left to meet you here I sent to the police some evidence, you know such simple things like your scroll about the Mangekyo Sharingan." said Shisui as he performed the Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique).

A large water dragon appeared behind him, supplied from the river below them, and came crashing down towards Itachi.

Both combatants jumped out of the way as the dragon float the bridge.

As he landed he formed the hand signs of the Raiton: Raiyari (Lightning Release: Lightning Spear) and lightning in the shape of a spear appeared in his hand.

He dashed forward to Itachi.

"Shisui stop it, please" Itachi plead but nonetheless his cousin continued with his assault.

He jumped out of the way, as Shisui came closer to him.

As Shisui went to stop, as the railing came dangerously close, he could not. The wet stone had no grip. He crashed into the railing, fell over, and hit his head the bridge.

He fell knocked out into the river below.

As Itachi heard the splash of water, he gasped and he hurried to get there where his best friend had fallen into the water.

He bent over the railing and stared down at the water below.

There was nothing except the calm river running toward the sea.

'_No_' this was his only thought as he vanished from the bridge to search for his cousin.

30 minutes later in the last glimpse of sunlight, he found the lifeless body of his cousin.

He looked down at him with sadness and sorrow at the lifeless form of his friend.

'_It's my fault. If only I had knocked him out before, he would not have accidentally killed himself_' though Itachi.

Suddenly he felt an immersive pain in his eyes and it began to spread throughout his body, before everything turned black.

When he woken up it was already dark, only the pale moon illuminated the scene and he lay with one-half of his face in the mud. He went to the bank to wash his face.

He shivered as he looked down into the water. His own reflection sent him shivers down his spin, the Mangekyo Sharingan still active.

With these eyes no one would believe him no one expect his old genin-sensei.

In less than 10 minutes, he was in front of his genin-sensei's house in the outskirt of Konoha.

He knocked on the front door.

A short while after a little girl, not older than 10 and with hazel hair, opened him the door.

"Hey Ayame-chan is your daddy at home?" he asked politely.

"Yes, I'll get him for you Itachi-kun" she said as she ran back in the house with a small blush.

"Oi, Itachi what can I do for you this late?" said Teuchi as he appeared in the door.

"Sensei I have to talk with you." Itachi said.

Itachi told him quickly what happened.

"I see." he said thoughtfully.

"We have to tell the Hokage, he might know what to do." Teuchi said and both flickered away only to appear in the Hokage's office.

"What can I do for you?" the Sandaime asked, annoyed from disturbance this late at night.

"We are sorry to disturb you this late but it is urgent." stated Teuchi and quickly told the Sandaime the recent events.

"… and so I guarantee my live that Uchiha Itachi told the truth." finished Teuchi.

"Very well, I will see what I can do. Itachi please report back in one week that we will see what we do. Dismissed" said the Sandaime Hokage thoughtfully.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." said Itachi before he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Teuchi? Do you really think he told us the truth?" asked the Third uneasy.

"Yes, I think so. For as long as I've know, he always was an honourable Shinobi."

"Hmm, I see. If he told us the truth than we have to do something against these evidences." Without another word, the third disappeared out of the room.

He returned shortly after with a piece of paper in his hand.

"I think you still know Koichiro?" asked the aged Hokage.

"You mean Koichiro the faker? How could I forget this old daredevil?" answered a laughing Teuchi.

"Good, go and meet him and take this paper with you. It is Shisui last mission report. Tell Koichiro that he should fake a farewell letter with his handwrite and than he should place the letter in Shisui room." explained the Sandaime as he handed Teuchi the report.

"As you wish." responded Teuchi as he bowed before he left the room to carry out his orders.

A week later

Itachi was on his way back home.

He walked through the night back home. The large full moon approached its zenith.

Somehow, a farewell letter written by Shisui had appeared and now the evidence the police force has are now contradictory. Sure, they were suspicious about his stake in the whole situation but he could not do anything for now, and to the time they could do something, he would be out of their reach till the third had settled the things out here.

As Itachi came closer to the Uchiha district, something seemed off. Normally the front gate was guarded, day and night, by two guardians but now there was not the slightest trace from them.

He passed through the old wooden gate into the Uchiha district. It was rather alien for Itachi.

The normally crowed Uchiha district was full of live but not now. Now the only sign of live where the flames of the street lightings dancing on the walls.

He walked further into the Uchiha district, further to the home of the main family, his family.

He gasped as he turned around a corner. The ground was littered with the dead bodies from the Uchiha family. His aunts, uncles even his little cousins laid dead on the streets.

He got a sick feeling in his stomach and fear clung around his heart.

He speeded off toward the main house.

'_Pleas be okay_' he was his only though in his mind on the way.

He pelted through the main door and ran to the bedrooms but before he reached them, he heard a scream out of the bedroom of his parents.

He rushed inside.

His eyes wide in shook '_Father, Mother_'. In the centre of the room laid the dead body of his mother and his barely alive father laid intersected on his mother. Below them slowly splayed a large puddle of their own blood.

"Itachi … behind … you." said he with in a low voice before his live faded into the eternal nothing.

He spun around.

In the corner a shadow lingered a dark figure. Only the outline form of the figure contrasted from the darkness as well as his eyes. Eyes he had never seen before and would never forget.

The Iris of his eyes was surrounded by a jet-black circle. In the middle circled three dots that are thick hemmed with black and pulled a tail after that connected with the following. Between two dots, a thick line reached straight up to black circle that was the outline of iris (1).

Out of reflex, he bound backward over the lifeless bodies of his parents and eyed the man in front off with caution.

The figure that loomed in the darkness has not move an inch by the sudden action of Itachi.

After the a few seconds, that seem to be for Itachi an eternity or two, the shadow raised his voice to speak.

"Finally an Uchiha that may worth the time of me, Uchiha Madara, these dead fools that I killed earlier where pretty much a waste of time."

Itachi wanted to reply something or slash this monster in front of him in two but even breathing was a hard task because of the suffocating power Madara's body emitted.

On a power pole no far from the main house a Kage Bunshin from Madara spotted the approach of Sasuke and dispel him self to feet his master with the knowledge.

Madara smirked as he gained the knowledge.

A single though run through his mind '_Time to set up my 'little' experiment._'

"If you want that your little brother survive this night tell him you did this, tell him about the Mangekyo Sharingan, how he could obtain it and that's the only way to avenge this clan and then leave this village or else …." He let this unspoken threat hanging in the air.

Before Itachi responded, both of them heard the approaching steps from Sasuke.

"Sasuke … don't come in …" Madara copied the voice of Sasuke and Itachi's father. (2)

Sasuke barged into the room and stared at the dead bodies of his parents.

Without Sasuke noticed, Madara slipped out of the room. Before he closed the door, his he let his gaze once again, ramble through the room.

'_Again another step closer to my plan_' he smiled sinisterly at his thoughts as he closed the slide door without a sound and vanished into the darkness of the night.

Inside the bedroom, Sasuke had already started to blame Itachi for massacring the Uchiha clan and Itachi's silences did not help to convince him otherwise.

Itachi sighed mentally, he really did not want to do this to his brother but there was no other way.

He used the Mangekyo Sharingan on him and showed him how the slaughtering of his parents.

Sasuke blacked out from the pressure of Itachi's genjutsu.

Itachi pulled quickly a scroll out and scribbled a fast message for the Hokage that basically told him that he did not massacre his clan and that he would take the mission he had offered him in his office only hours ago and he will search the real murder to redeem his name.

He planted the scroll beside the dead body of his father and placed a strong genjutsu above it so that everybody who would quickly look through this room would miss it but the ANBU would find it for sure and bring it to the Hokage.

As he finished his little brother, already stir and slowly he woke up.

As he regained his full consciousness, he truly believed that Itachi kill his family.

By this time, Itachi had made a fake reason why he had wiped out all the Uchiha's except Sasuke. He also told him that he should obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan before he knocked him out again with a genjutsu.

Before an unconscious Sasuke hit the ground, Itachi caught him and laid him down gently.

"I am sorry, ni-chan that I have to do such thing to you" He said in a low.

He stood up and looked sadly around the Uchiha district one last time. The blood stained walls, blood in the streets, his murdered family, everything screamed for revenge.

Now, in the darkest hour of the mighty Uchiha clan he vowed himself that he would find his ancestor, Uchiha Madara, and will kill him even if it would be the last thing he would do in his life.

He vanished merely seconds before the Hokage and a whole platoon of ANBU appeared on the scene. Without a word the ANBU scattered themselves to investigate the crime scene and secure the area.

The Hokage himself was shocked about the sheer dimension of the massacre that had happened here.

Only minutes later, an ANBU with a dog mask approached the still shocked Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama, I have found something that might interest's you." said a young Kakashi, effectively snapped him out of his thoughts and shock.

He handed a scroll over to the Hokage.

He rolled it out and quickly read it before he cast a Katon jutsu and burned the scroll to ash.

He called the platoon together.

"It appears that Itachi did this …" The Hokage said as he started to fill in the men with false information.

From afar Itachi had heard what how the Hokage had started his speech. It's was exactly that what he had written in the scroll and the sighed that he had copied.

He leaped off the roof and made his way through the nocturnal and deserted streets of Konoha. His goal the gates that lead him out of the city further away from his home but closer to his revenge.

He slipped through it without alerting the guards on the gate.

After he had covered quite a distance between him self and Konoha, he sighed and took one last, sad glance back towards his home before he vanished into the darkness of the night.

Mangekyo Sharingan Flashback End

"I … I … didn't know" stammered Naruto,

"How should you? No one knows beside you, me, Jiraiya and probably the new Hokage. You see you are not the only one that had sacrifice much for the sake of the village and have to carry a burden. Yours is to be shunned and beaten for carrying the nine tailed, mine is to be branded as a traitor and the one who nearly caused the extinction of his family.

Believe it or not, I too lost the faith in village but I found it again and it was stronger than before and maybe you will forgive them one day, maybe he will forgive me one day, which will be the day when we'll return home." Itachi said as he walked toward an overgrown grave.

White quartz stones formed the outline of the grave. The outline was only overtopped by a large block of natural stone whose surface was not work on except a patch that obviously held an inscription. Unfortunately, it was covered with moss.

He kneeled down and began to free the patch from the moss. Naruto watched, bored, the activities from his partner out of the distance.

Just when Itachi finished and stood back up to pray Naruto curiosity took the best of him and he walk over there were his partner stood.

His eyes widen in shook a he stood next to Itachi and read the inscription on the stone.

Itachi, completely unimpressed by the sudden shock of Naruto, started to speak with a calm voice.

"It's has been a while, hasn't it? I am sorry that I didn't have the time to visit you two but look who I brought with me today." Itachi gazed to Naruto and let linger his view on him a moment before he shifted his gazed back to the stone.

"I will help him to make the right decisions that you could be proud of him. We will see you again. I promise." he finished with a tears in his eye.

He wiped them with his coat sleeve away before he snapped Naruto out of his shook.

"Come on we've got to go. We have still business to do." he said as he walked away.

"But … but … " "No buts. I'll tell you on the way." interrupted Itachi before Naruto and him self hopped into the trees.

Naruto's gaze linger just another second on the smooth surface of the patch before he also leaped into the trees to follow Itachi.

Later that night:

It was a warm night like many at this time of the year and the moon was hidden by clouds, but for her this night was freezing, dark, merciless and hopeless.

Her thoughts still loomed on the events of the past day, circling around her only to stop where they started. She was wondering through the streets of Konoha aimlessly, nonetheless her feet pushing her forward to an unknown location.

Flashback

She waited at their regular meeting spot for the former Team 7, enjoying the silence without the boisterous knucklehead ninja. Her body leaned casually against the railing of the bridge that was above a small stream.

Her gaze wandered over the small stream below her feet followed its course 'till it vanished into the training area.

Quietly she watched the bustle on the shore of it.

A sudden jarred noise made her spin around to face the source of the noise.

There he stood, lazily leaned against the railing on the far end of the bridge, piercing her with his blunt gazes. It was no other than her Sasuke-kun.

His jet black eyes meet her emerald green ones.

He broke the eye contacted with her and repelled from the railing. He closed the distance between him and her.

He leaded beside her on the railing and look down in the stream like she had before she had noticed him.

She looked dreamily on the boy beside her. He looked like he was deep in thought and she decided against diverting him and to just keep looking at the stream, too.

Minutes passed by and neither of them had spoken a word.

Eventually Sasuke parted his gaze from the horizon and look again at his pink haired teammate.

She wore her usual outfit, a red dress with a white circle on the back paired with short black spandex shorts and black standard Shinobi boots.

She was slightly bend over the railing staring into the stream blow as gentle breeze played with her short hair, let it raise and let it fall again only moments later to start from scratch, and the sun let her pink hair gleam.

He would never admit it to anyone but she emitted a natural beauty that not many had.

"I always found that it is very steadying to watch such simple things." Sasuke said unexpectedly.

Sakura just looked plain dumbfound towards Sasuke.

'_Did this really happened or have I finally lost my sanity?_' Sakura questioned herself.

"Sakura? Saakkuurraa? Hello? Are you there?" Sasuke asked Sakura as he waved his hand in front of her face.

"Oh yeah, sorry but what did you say?" answered Sakura.

"I asked you if you would like to accompany me at dinner tonight. I want to discuss something's with you." Sasuke said calmly.

Sakura blushed. After such a long time, her Sasuke-kun finally responded to her feelings. To say the least, overjoyed was an understatement.

"I … w-woul-ld … lo-ve." she was barely able to stammer and smiled at him.

"Good, I will pick up around 8." said Sasuke and smiled back.

However, there was something she missed. She had always thought that she would feel the butterflies in her stomach going wild when it finally happened, but there was not the slightest hint of them.

She shrugged it off simply telling herself what it was not important.

'_**I wished that Naruto would be her he would surely be happy for us.**_' sighed inner Sakura.

'_You? I though I finally got ride of you?_' snored Sakura.

'_**Well, as always, you forgot that I had spent more time down there in you subconscious than you. Out of this fact result that I know every way down there even if I had to admit that it was pretty hard to get out of there this time.**_' said she as she glared dangers on the outside Sakura

'_And where the hell did that sudden change of mind came from? If I remember right you were so glad Naruto's gone._' Respond Sakura

'_**Don't tell me that you don't feel it?**_' ask her inner personality.

'Feel what?' asked Sakura.

'_**Something is missing**_' responded the inner.

'_Oh yeah, your right something is definitely missing and it is the noise that the loud knucklehead produce._' retorted Sakura sarcastically.

'_**For the girl who is supposedly the smartest in her year, you are sometimes really dull you know that?**_' stated inner Sakura.

'What do you mean?' asked a perplex Sakura

Her inner self smacked her hand over her own face and sign heavily.

'_**I'll give you a hint so listen to me and listen well. You only start missing things when you realized that they are not longer there.**_' Without any further word spoken her inner retreated back in to her subconscious.

'_Wait, what you mean?_' she yelled into the darkness of her mind.

'…' her inner self denied her answer.

'_Do you mean Naruto?_' she called.

'…' Silence.

'_Please answer me._' she pleaded,

'…' but her pleads only fell on deaf ears and it frustrated her a little.

'_Fine, I will find out by myself_' she snapped into her mind.

This 'little' talk happened in merely a blink of an eye in the reality of it all.

The following moment Kakashi appeared on the bridge.

"Yo" he greeted his remaining team as usual.

Silence.

He locked first to Sasuke, who leaned casual against the railing, then to Sakura who had zoomed out.

"What happened to her?" asked Kakashi.

"Don't know she zoomed out after I ask her if she wants to eat dinner with me tonight." chuckled Sasuke.

Kakashi eyed him suspiciously.

"You did what?" asked he in disbelieve.

"I ask her if she wants to eat dinner with me." respond Sasuke.

Before he could even respond, Kakashi had pinned him against the railing and pressed a kunai against his throat.

"Okay buddy, I don't know who you are but the Sasuke I know would never, ask Sakura out. You now have two choices, the easy way or the hard way. Tell where Uchiha Sasuke is or I'll beat the shit out of you." Kakashi nearly screamed.

Suddenly Kakashi felt very uncomfortable in his skin as a massive wave of killer intent washed over him from the right side. Victim and aggressor both turned there head slowly to the source of killer intent.

Their gazed rested on the fumbling kunoichi beside them.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI, WHY ARE YOU THREATENING SASUKE-KUN!" screamed the enraged kunoichi.

"Sakura … I thought … who had known … an imposer …" stammered Kakashi in fear but it was pointless the furious kunoichi reared her fist back and slammed it into the face of her unlucky sensei.

'_**Shannaro, that made fun**_' screamed inner Sakura in her head as her sensei crashed with al loud thump into a tree.

Kakashi limped back to the bridge and the rest of his cell.

Sasuke and Sakura where engaged in a conversation, well basically it was a one sided conversation. Only Sakura spoke and Sasuke listened patiently

He cleared his throat to catch their attention.

"Well, now that we have cleared this misunderstanding, let me tell you why I had called you here." stated Kakashi.

"The Hokage told me that you Sakura are her new apprentice. Hence, Sasuke is my last student. Therefore, Hokage-same had allowed me to take you under my wing and train Sasuke." said Kakashi.

"So, does this mean no more missions together?" asked Sakura with a shocked look on the face. '_Noooo, no more missions together with Sasuke-kun_' she sadly screamed mentally.

"In short term, yes, but in the long run no. During your personal training you will not be sent on any missions but after that you will perform missions and most likely together again." told them Kakashi in a monotonous voice.

"If there are not more question, follow me Sasuke we will go train." Kakashi stated.

He pulled his Icha Icha Paradise book out, began to read it, and started to walk towards the training grounds. Sasuke trailed behind him.

"Ah and Sakura before I forgot to tell you, the Hokage told me that you have the day off. Tomorrow will be as the schedule says. So, enjoy you free day." he said without removing his eyes from his book.

As Sasuke passed Sakura, their gazes meet for a brief moment before she mouthed "You'll pick me up at eight?"

He performed a quick nodded in return and followed Kakashi into the training area.

Sakura looked after him 'till he vanished from her sight.

She turned and ran into city of Konoha.

'I got a date with Sasuke-kun' she squealed the whole way back in her head.

To bad that Ino was out on a mission, she would have loved to rub it in her face that she and only she had a date with Sasuke and not Ino-pig.

She spent nearly the whole day in the various clothe stores in Konoha, searching the perfect outfit for her date that evening.

It was nearly 5 pm, when she finally found, what she was looking for.

An elegant dark blue Komon kimono with inlays of forest green leaf swirling in the wind, her outfit was completed by a pink obi (a belt for a kimono) that matched her hair colour.

She paid and darted out of the shop back home to use the rest of the spare time until eight pm to get ready for her date.

Konoha, eight pm:

A knock on the door caught Manami Haruno's attention. She walked out of the kitchen, where she had nearly finished today's dinner, she went into the hallway and made her way to open the front door.

She opened the door and was mildly shocked to say the last when Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of her.

"What can I do for you? Manami asked him.

Kami, how she hate's the Uchiha's. Before she had retired her ninja duties to bear her lovely Sakura, the Uchiha's had showed on more then one occasion how self-centre and cocky they really were. The fact had he nearly betrayed his village did not help either.

She always hoped that her little Sakura would let go of her childish crush on the last Uchiha and turn her attention to someone who really deservers it, like that Uzumaki kit.

Even he had the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed in him, she and her husband looked past that, like the most of the ninjas in the village. Manami, as well as her husband, had always tried to help the boy as much as they could. They had stopped the beatings when they where around or filled his fridge with food during the night, for Kami's sake they would have even adopted him after his grandparents had been killed, but the old geezer from the council would not allow it. It would be too risky that the demon could be free when he was angered. A bullshit excuse if anyone would ask her. Like beating, the little boy to near death would not risk the freeing of the Kyuubi.

She sighed mentally she had really hoped that it would be Naruto, but her daughter had not told her who would be picking her up tonight.

She was pulled out of her own little world as Sasuke spoke.

"Is Sakura here, Haruno-san?" asked Sasuke politely.

Before Manami could even answer a pink blur ran past her and grabbed Sasuke, dragging him into the night.

"Bye mum" was the only thing she heard before they both vanished from her sight.

"Honey? Who had picked up our little cheery blossom? Any chance that it was that nice Uzumaki kit?" asked her husband from the living room.

This would not sit well with her husband Manami thought cursed to her self.

"No, Kazuki, it was not Naruto but the Uchiha brat." Manami answered as she closed the front door.

"WHAT! THAT ARROGANT SCUM? HOW COULD YOU EVEN ALLOW SUCH A PRICK TO EVEN LAY A HAND ON OUR LITTLE SAKURA?" yelled the furious Kazuki.

"I know, I know but she is not that little anymore. It's time for her to make her own experiences in this world." she said to try calm her husband's temper as she walked into the living room.

She just laughed at the sight in front of her. Her husband made a pouted face like a small child and looked in the other direction, not looking at her. Even in his late thirties, he still had not let go of his childish behaviour, but she still loves him with all her heart.

In the streets of Konoha, the pink blur eventually stopped and let go of Sasuke.

She turned around to get her first good lock on him this evening and was instantaneously disappoint.

He just wore his usual rags; his blue shirt with the red and white fan on the back and his white shorts.

So far, the worst part was the fact that he not even had bother to change from his training clothes into a fresh set of clothes.

It's was not like they where complete covered in dust but when she look closely she could see spots of dust here and there.

'_**I think even Naruto would have changed into another set of clothes when I would allow him to take us out.**_' commented her inner self.

The comments Inner Sakura gave her did not help to improve her mood.

Nevertheless, she shrugged it off like so many things Sasuke had done to her, and instead she thought about what fancy restaurant he would take her too.

At this point Sasuke had taken her hand and guided her slowly through the streets of Konoha.

She could not take anymore the suspense.

"Sasuke-kun, which restaurant are you taking me to?" she squealed out.

"Restaurant?" he raised an eyebrow. "No, I had prepared dinner at home." he said in a stern voice.

This she shrugged off, too.

'_Maybe he is a good cook._' she said to herself.

'_**Yeah right and when did he ever had time for anything else that his revenge bullshit?**_' retorted Inner Sakura rhetorically.

'_Maybe he can put in an effort_.' she said to defend Sasuke

'_**Yeah right, it is not like that the Uchiha have a large fortune and he is the last one who has access on it.**_' counter her Inner Self.

'_Surely the council had frozen it._' she retorted but it was a pathetic attempt

'_**Maybe but he surly have some money to spend monthly and you know what? I know somebody who would have spent his whole saving for us without a second thought.**_' said her Inner Sakura with a victory smile plastered over her face.

Sakura was losing the battle against her inner self so she did what she always did when she was losing; she suppressed her Inner Sakura and shoved her back into her subconscious.

Maybe she had bought her self enough time to enjoy this evening.

She followed him quaintly through the streets into the Uchiha district.

Years of neglect and abandon had left traces on most of the buildings inside of district.

In addition, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop

She would not admit it to anyone, but this large abandoned district frightened her a little.

Eventually he led her to a large house that had not been gone rotten.

He left her in the living room on the couch to cook her dinner.

In the meantime, she looked around the house. She had to admit it was a large house but only scanty furnished emitting a feeling of cold efficiency.

She would not want to live here, much lesser all, alone.

She watched him silently as he placed a mobile Teppan (3), bowls and dishes on the dining table.

He powered it on and returned into the kitchen.

On his return, he brought the ingredients for the Okonomiyaki.

He took a seat and motioned with his hand that Sakura should do the same.

Again, she was slightly disappointed because Sasuke did not bother to place anything else than the necessary.

However, she obeyed his silent command and took a seat opposite off him.

"So, Sasuke-kun …" a motion off his hand silenced her.

"How about we enjoy this meal in silence? Later will enough time to … talk." He suggested.

She nodded in silent agreement and prepared her Okonomiyaki.

During their meal, the only noises were the clapping of the chopstick from time to time and he shot her down every time she tried to begin a conversation.

As they finished their meal, Sasuke started, to Sakura's surprise, a conversation on his own.

They talked about random things in their life until Sasuke asked a very important question for him.

"What happened in the valley of the end?"

During his house arrest, his one overseer was an ANBU that happened to be an old friend of his father. He was able to persuade him to gather all information about Naruto's desert.

The only secure information he had received were that Naruto, drowned in tears, had stormed into in the village, toward his apartment. Apparently, not even the Hokage knows more about it and in the official reports from Sakura and Kakashi, Naruto looked fine as he left. Maybe he could lure Sakura to give him an unofficial report.

Because the fact in their report was more than suspicious, Naruto and leaving his comrades behind did not rally a match in his mind, but it seems like the Hokage did not share the same suspicious as he did about it.

'_The more I think about it the more I think the old hag knows more than she had written down in her report._' he thought.

Before he could continue his current train of thoughts, Sakura began to speak.

"Well it is like Kakashi had written it in the report the day after. We found you unconscious and Naruto sitting beside you. Before we where able to say something, Naruto speed away and told us that we should take care of you because he had something to do in the village. Who could have known what he meant with something to do would leave the village?" she said.

It was obvious for Sasuke that it was a lie.

"Sakura, who you think would fall for such a lie? Everyone who knew he would say that he would never abandon a friend. Come on tell me the truth and you get a reward." he said with a smirk.

"Ok, but just because of you." squealed Sakura with glint in her eyes.

"In short, we saw that you have fallen to the ground and he walked over to you to finish you off. However, lucky Kakashi and I could prevent him from killing you and we gave him a piece of your mind about the demon he really is. I am a kind of glad that he is now gone and that is the whole story." she told him proudly.

"You told him that he is a demon?" he asked in disbelieve.

"Well that was not the worst. I literal told him that he should leave me alone and never speak to me again." she said a little sad.

"Ok, I thing now it is time for your reward." he said as his face inched closer to her face.

She closed her eyes and did the same in joyful anticipation of a kiss from her Sasuke-kun.

Poor Sakura, if she only had looked into his eyes as she had spoken. She would have seen the anger. How it had built inside them with every word, she had spoken, but she did not because she was too proud of 'protecting her Sasuke-kun'.

Her 'reward' was a light slap in the face.

She stared with wide eyes at Sasuke.

"Why do I deserve a slap in the face? Sakura asked as she looked at him in disbelieve with tears in her eyes.

"YOU ASK WHAT YOU DESERVE IT FOR? HOW DARE YOU?" Sasuke yelled at her with venom in his voice.

After this outburst he clamed a little down but continued his onslaught none the less.

"How could you have done this to him after he had done so much for you? I did not get it. He practical worshiped the ground below. I really didn't get how he could love such a selfish, useless and annoying bitch like you and you never said thanks for anything he did for you." he hissed. His eyes radiated hatred as he look disgusted at her.

"But … but … Sasuke-kun I love." she stammered, tears now streamed freely out of her eyes.

"I didn't love you and now I definitely never will love you after pushed the only one away that was not only a friend to me but also a brother." he said with his usual cold and indifferent voice.

"Now go before I rethink that this leaving is not punishment enough for you." He signed in frustration.

"But Sasuke-kun…" she tried to respond but he cut her off mid sentence.

"I am not Sasuke-kun I am Uchiha Sasuke, now be quiet, stop wasting my time and leave my home, NOW." he said with his voice dripping of malice.

Sakura winced under his hard voice and surrender under his harsh glare.

"Yes Sasuke-k … san." Sakura said.

"Oh, Sakura, before I forgot it. I have no choice than to report to the Hokage what you have told me about the mission." He said in his cold voice.

The silent rainstorm of her tear wetted the path as she slowly, defeated and trance walked out of his house, out of the Uchiha district and into the deserted and nocturnal streets of Konoha.

Flashback End

Her feet stopped moving, parting her gaze form the ground to look up.

In front of her laid a small stand, warm light shone out of it, whispering a whiff of comfort and peace to everyone whom passed by.

Subconscious she walked to the one place where she could always seek comfort and safety.

Then again her feet started walking on their own behavior, like they had their own mind but driven by instinct. He gaze never leaving the stand in front of her. Every step brought her closer to what she was longing for.

She shoved the blind aside. Inside sat Naruto eating ramen. He shifted his head toward Sakura and smiled at her with one of his large genuine smile.

At this late hour it was not a big surprise that none of the costumers sat on the stool in front of counter. Only Ayame leaned with a bored expression onto the counter and her dad Teuchi was busy polishing his chef's knives in the back.

Ayame shifted her head toward the newly arrived customer.

"Hello and welcome to Ichiraku Ramen Bar" she greet cheerful before even looking at the arrival.

Her gaze fixed on the pink haired kunoichi. "Oi, Sakura how can I help you?"

Sakura looked to Ayame before she turned her head back to where Naruto sat but she found nothing but an empty stool.

"Na… ruto" she mumbled as she stared at empty stool where Naruto just sat there a second ago as she ignored the brunette waitress completely.

"Naruto? Hmm, I am sorry to tell you but we haven't seen him the past couple of months" she stated with a sad smile.

"Do you know if he is on a mission or have you seen or heard anything from him? Ayame asked worried.

Sakura realized it finally.

The one where she always could seek comfort, the one who gave her, always, the feeling to be beautiful and to be adored, the one she always could rely on, this one man she had drove away with her seek for love from a man who couldn't love her.

She had always taken his presence for granted but now she had painfully realized that she had made probably the biggest mistake of her life

Her eyes watered but she turned around before Ayame had the chance to see it.

"No, I haven't heard anything from him either…" Ayame could not finish her sentence before Sakura ran into the darkness of the night.

The tears poured out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks as her gaze lingered on the ground in front of her.

The last thing she saw before she fell on the ground where two feet in black battle boots.

The man was in deep though as a blur suddenly emerged out of the darkness in front of him and tackled him down to the ground.

As he rose from the ground, the man took his time to examine the person who knocked him down.

Smooth skin with the colour of pure snow, slender feminine figure, flat chest, a larger forehead than normal and pink hair.

His eyes narrowed on the girl in front of him.

"You?" he hissed.

Sakura did not response.

He looked at her in silence as she still sat on the ground.

By a strange quirk of fate, a wind coming from the north started to pick up and pushed the clouds, which had covered the moon, slowly away, allowing the pale light of the full moon to illuminate the scene below.

Without the cover from the clouds, the stranger could see a damp trail on each cheek of her the silent tears and as the rustling of the trees died down, he could hear her nearly soundless sobs.

He sighed.

After all he had seen and experienced he still hated to see a woman crying, even it was her.

"You're okay?" he asked.

Again she didn't respond.

He sighed again

She did not know how much time had past but her tears relieved her, they lifted the pressure of the guilt that threatened to squash her heart.

She had tried to be strong, to be not more then the weak little girl who needed the support and protection of her team, but she had failed and had lost in the process the one who had truly loved her.

The gentle shock from a firm hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

"Oi? Is everything okay? Why are crying?" asked the stranger in front of her with his firm masculine voice.

She looked him directly in his eyes and he looked straight back with his cobalt blue eyes.

His eyes were dull, they told her that they had seen too much in their life and were witnesses of to many gruesome things, but then again they held an unspoken promise of comfort and protection.

She eyed the man who kneed down in front of her.

His long sleek grey hair hung loosely in his face, the hair on the back of his head were braided to a pigtail, here and there were still wisps of his original red orange hair colour visible.

His long life had edged on his face. Many lines graced in his face telling from a long and eventful life.

In addition, he had a vertical scar starting on his forehead leaving his right eye socket out and continued on his cheek stopping an inch above his lower jaw.

From these signs, Sakura guessed that he was in late sixties or probably in his early seventies.

He was about 5'9 feet high and was slightly bended forward.

More detail were not visible because the rest of his body was hidden by a long dark coat.

She sobbed loudly.

He sighed

"Hey, what's depressing you?" he asked with concern.

She did not know why but some how she knew she could trust this stranger in front of her without a second though. This mere presence was already enough to calm her down and the tears stopped pouring out.

"I …"she sobbed "… I…" she sobbed but this time louder "… I am a horrible person." She barely squished out before fresh tears began to run down her cheeks.

"I … I … have frightened the only one, who had really loved me, away. I was so stupid and blind…" she sobbed "…why was I so blind, Naruto? Why?" she rhetorical asked into the darkness.

His gaze softens.

He rose back on his feet and stretched his hand out to help her up on her feet while a warm smile adored his face.

"Come on little one, the street is cold and not the place for such a young and beautiful lady like you."

Her tears eventually dried out and she blushed at the comment of the elder man who could be easily her "jiji."

"Let's get something to eat, I am staving" he said as he dragged her gently toward Ichrichka's ramen.

She hesitated in front of the ramen stand but he only shoves her inside.

Still there were no costumers sitting on the stool row.

Ayame was nowhere in sight and Teuchi was still toying with his knife's.

Sakura slump down on a random stool without a second thought. Obviously, her mind still lingered on the events of this day.

The stranger sat down as well on the stool to her right.

Teuchi did not bother to look up as the bind was shoved aside.

Only the voice of the new arrival aroused his curiosity.

"Oi, you, give me please a large bowl of miso ramen and a small bowl pork ramen for the little one beside me." rang the voice of the stranger through the little stand.

Instantaneously he had the undivided attention of Teuchi. He did not trust his ears, too often he though he would hear his voice but every time it was only someone who sounds similar.

In the back of his mind, he knew it could not be him but he wished every day that it were only a bad dream that he would wake up and would see his old comrade, his best friend again but it would not happen.

He turned around.

He only took a short glance at Sakura. Man that girl looks like she had a hell of a day. Her facial expression was a mix sadness and sorrow. She gazed into the space fixing on nothing in particular, very oblivious to her surrounding.

Finally, his eyes rested on the old man in front of him.

His jaw dropped immediately as he got a good look at the man in front of him.

He stared at the man, who he though was dead for over 9 years, in disbelieves and eyes wide.

"Impossible" was the only thing he could mumble.

"Oi, do I have to wait forever for my ramen?" the stranger ranted.

Teuchi looked dumbfound at him.

"Jeez! I know that your skills are a bit rusty but come on it is just me." snorted the man from his stool.

Teuchi snapped out of his initial shock an examined him with his ninja skills.

First, he could not see anything but then after he used all his knowledge, he could see through the henge. He had to admit that it was such a perfect henge everyone who would not look really close would be fooled without doubt.

As smile appeared in his face as he figured out who really sat in front of him.

"It is good to see you again, …" he blurred out but he was silenced by the man's hand over his mouth.

With his other free hand, the man brought his index finger in front of his own mouth in the gesture of silence before he pointed at Sakura.

An understanding nod was Teuchi's respond as he removed his hand from his mouth.

"… Mugi" finished Teuchi is sentence.

Mugi smiled silently back at him.

"So what happen with my order, Teuchi?" ask Mugi innocently with a large grin spread over his face.

'_Something's will never change._' thought Teuchi.

"Two bowls of ramen will be here in no time." He said before he turned to his oven to prepare the ramen.

Mugi looked down on Sakura.

She still stared blankly into nowhere.

He sighed and watched how Teuchi prepared their meals.

Even as Teuchi placed her bowl in front of her, she did not move only stare, her mind still racing, a thousand miles per hour, about what she had done and why.

'_How could I have been that foolish and blind._' she though.

She already felt a new wave of tears swell up.

A strong hand on her shoulder distracted her from her tears.

Her gaze followed the arm till it reached his owner. The old man from earlier sat besides her, smiling at her with a heart warming smile.

He gestured her to look in front.

She was mildly surprised to find a ramen bowl in front of her.

The mere sign of ramen brought back her sense of guilt. She was responsible that Naruto was not here anymore, if she just had not lashed out on him.

Again, tears leaked out of her eyes and she sobbed quietly.

"Someone as beautiful and strong as you should not waste her time with crying." he said and she could feel the honesty in his words.

A gentle squeeze of her shoulder and the comforting worlds of the stranger helped her out of her misery.

Her tears dried out as he pulled her in an embrace. As she was pressed against his firm chest, the smoothing sound of his heartbeat calmed her down.

Normally she would have send everyone, who was either blunt or dumb enough to invaded her personal space, flying but this time was everything but normal.

Something about the stranger was so familiar. She could not tell what it was but it was their and it let her feel save and beloved in his arms.

He pulled away from her. Moments later, she already missed the warmness that radiated from his chest.

She blushed a little as the though creped into her head that she had lend against the strong chest of a total stranger and actually had enjoyed it.

The stranger seemed not too noticed as he pointed smiling on something in front of her. She followed where his finger pointed. Eventually she noticed the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her.

"Eat it and you will feel better, beside a cold wind had pick up outside and you are still shivering from it. The hot ramen will help to warm you up again." he said as he pointed on her ramen and indeed, she was shivering from the cold night air and the lack of clothes that suited the weather.

"ITADAKIMASU!" he exclaimed loudly and happily before he ducked his chopsticks into his own ramen and slurped his noodles down his throat.

She could only smile at his antics and started to eat her own bowl.

"How rude I am!" he said and paused his meal to speak further.

"I am Mugi and who are you, young one?" he said with a bright smile.

She could not help but smile back. Even if she had wanted, her mouth had moved of its own accord and curved her lips upward into a smile.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, Mugi-san." she said politely to the elderly man.

"Ah cut it out! Don't be so formal, it makes me feel older than I am." he joked

"Okay, Mugi" she said now in definitely better mood than before.

Both continued their meals in a pleasant silence.

"Ahhh, that was the best ramen I had eaten for a long time, Thanks Teuchi." he exclaimed happy and bowed slightly to thanks Teuchi for the great meal as he finished his bowl.

"Yeah, it was good as always" Sakura added as she dropped her chopsticks into her now empty bowl of ramen.

He looked to her with his cobalt blue eyes.

"It is good to see you in a better mood now." Mugi said with sincere in his voice.

"Yeah." answered Sakura her gaze fixing the bowl in front of her.

"What does depress you?" he asked.

"Nothing." she said crusty.

He did not believe her.

Gently he grabbed her chin and moved that she faced him.

Sakura did not resist but she tried to avoid his gaze, without avail.

She got a glimpse of his blue and they trapped her. She could not look away from them.

She did not know how long she stared in those two blue orbs. The hand on her chin was long gone.

"You know." Mugi spoke. "You could tell me whatever and whenever you want." he said with his gentle but firm voice.

His words took the little rest of resident away she had left.

So, she told him everything, about her team-mates, about the incident in the valley of the end, about her 'date' with Sasuke this evening and about her realization after it.

He listened closely and never interrupted her but every time she was the tears near, he embraced her in a hug to calm her down.

'_That teme! The next time I see him I will kick his ass._' he thought after she finished.

"It sound like this Naruto guy is a baka." He said

Teuchi only sweat dropped on his comment.

"Yes, he is but he is my baka." Sakura exclaimed. The though of her lovable idiot brought the tears back into her eyes.

"And you are pretty deep in with him."

"Yes but now he hates me and he has all right to do so." she said as new tears leak out her eyes.

"Hey clam down. After all, you told me about him I would guess he already forgave you."

"You think so?" she asked between two sobs.

"Yes, he will definitely come back to you." he said and smiled at her.

His words gave her confident. '_He is right Naruto will come back to me, I only have to believe it.' _she thought and smiled back.

'_**That is the spirit, girl.**_' comment inner Sakura.

Suddenly Mugi remembered that he was on the way to meet someone before he bumped in Sakura.

"Teuchi, what time is it please?" asked Mugi.

"Nearly 11pm."

"Damn!!" he cursed "It is time to go home little girl if have quite a way to get home. Hop on my back and I bring you home." He said as the stood up from his stool and tosses the money for their meals on the counter.

Sakura always loved piggyback rides and hoped, without a complaining, on the old man's back.

He jumped on the roof and speeds to Sakura's house.

'_**God, how I love them.**_' she though in pure delight as she clasped onto the back of Mugi.

He sat her down in front of her house and wished her a good night.

"When I will see you again?" she asked just before he vanished into the night.

"I live quite a bit apart from Konoha but I visit Konoha occasionally. I will seek you out when I am back here." he said before walked away.

Sakura looked at the spot where he vanished several minutes after he left before she turned to the door. She took out her key out of the pocket inside her kimono, opened the door of her parent's house and disappeared inside.

He walked through the gate out of the village of Konohagakure.

After he had covered quite a distance, a hidden figure appeared out of the darkness of the forest.

"What took you so long?" asked the man while his face was still covered in the shadows.

"Well, I bumped in to someone who needed comfort." he said. He could not help but smile at the fresh memories.

"We have to move now. We already lost sometime." he said in a little annoyed voice.

Mugi nodded and released his henge.

Both hopped into the trees and disappeared in the darkness of the night.

Wow 11.132 Words, this was more than chapter 1 and 2 with Author Notes. I hope you liked it. Express your impression of this chapter in a review. I appreciate every single of it.

So long TGMaker

**Legend**

1. If you want a picture look in Chapter 386 page 8 down left corner

2. I shorten this part because you could read it fully in Chapter 224 (the real reason is that I am to lazy :P )

3. A hotplate.


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